Michael Jackson’s Lawyers Are Making a Mint

At last word, Jacko is still dead. And given how much his estate is paying out in legal fees, he’s probably quite happy about that given how much money is being paid out to lawyers, publicists and executors. This comes from Showbiz 411:

They probably deserve it, but the lawyers and executors for Michael Jackson‘s estate are making millions and cleaning up. They won’t stop til they get enough, to paraphrase a Jackson hit.

In 2013, according to Estate papers just filed, legal fees for the Jackson estate– which go mostly to John Branca‘s firm– were $2.7 million.

Executor fees — to Branca personally and John McClain — came to $3.8 million. In 2012, the executor fee were actually higher– $4,454,011.

According to the filing, all of Michael’s loans on his MiJac Music Publishing have been paid off. His Sony/ATV Music Publishing loan is being paid off under a separate agreement.

Public relations fees — mostly to L.A. firm Sitrick–came to just under $800,000. For 2013, January-December. For a man who’s been deceased since 2009.

The Estate has $25 million in cash on hand.

Gross receipts in 2013: $67 million

The grunt work here is from a website called dailymichael.com which monitors every bit of Michael Jackson minutiae. They posted the papers. My hat is off to them.

Accordingly, Michael Jackson’s kids and his mother received $8,151,308 in 2013. On top of her $1.2 million guardianship fee, the 85 year old Katherine Jackson also received a $1.3 million consulting fee in 2013. Cousin T.J. Jackson, her co-guardian, received just $154,071.

Oh, and there’s more. Keep reading.